IIHF World U20 Championship Newshttp://www.iihf.com/
IIHF News from www.iifh.comenIIHF World U20 Championship Newshttp://www.iihf.com/typo3conf/ext/tt_news/ext_icon.gifhttp://www.iihf.com/
1816IIHF News from www.iifh.comTYPO3 - get.content.righthttp://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rssTue, 03 Mar 2015 19:23:00 +0100From Saskatoon to the futurehttp://www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm20/news/news-singleview-world-juniors/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4044
What can hockey’s top nations expect for 2010 and beyond?Canada and the U.S. had the nail-biting games at the 2010 U20s– both in the preliminary round and in the gold medal game.

The outcome of the gold medal game, a 6-5 overtime American win, was a hot topic on the front pages of Canadian newspapers.

One could say: “Come on, it’s just junior hockey. It was just an overtime goal.” But in Canada, it’s more than that. It’s nearly a reason to put maple leaf flag at half mast in the motherland of hockey.

To show the importance of that game in numbers: 15,171 were in attendacne at the final in Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon – reportedly the biggest crowd that has ever witnessed a hockey game in Saskatchewan. 12.3 million viewers saw at least part of the game on TV – every third Canadian.

But the World U20 Championship is not “just” junior hockey. It’s also the future of hockey. And according to most Canadians, anything other than gold is a disappointment.

Or to describe the feelings in national paper, The Globe and Mail:

In a shocking blow to national pride, a determined U.S. fleet beat Canada at its own game. As teams gear up for the Olympics, the Americans have now established themselves as legitimate rivals in Canada’s quest for gold. […] Nothing – not American Idol, not contempt for medicare, not even distant memories of the War of 1812 – bothers Canadians so much as an American victory in the Canadian game.

The U.S. team played a great game on New Year’s Eve, with the difference, that Canada was the luckier team. In the gold medal game, the Canadians staged another great comeback with two goals from Jordan Eberle in the last three minutes of regulation, but this time the Americans had fortune on their side in overtime.

A factor in the U.S. was the recent World U18 Championships. In the last five years, the Americans have won the gold three times. The other two tournaments were won by Canada and Russia, respectively.

Heading to the Vancouver Olympics, here are some conclusions that can be drawn for the future of the U20 nations.

1. USA

Team USA’s impressive win at the 2010 World Juniors shows that USA Hockey is on the right path in its junior development. Much of this is thanks to the National Team Development Program, which now after a decade is paying dividends by brining together the top American talent for two seasons when the players are 17 and 18 years-old. Most believe that this commitement to junior development is the number-one reason that the U.S. is now gathering medals and top draft picks at an astounding rate. Also consider that the players on the U20 roster came from ten different states. This can be considered a result of NHL expansion to new U.S. markets in the 90s. The future continues to look bright with a young Olympic roster and no end in sight to the success at U18s.

2. Canada

“They did a good job. We have a lot of work to do,” was head coach Willie Desjardins’ comment about the gold medal game, which was Canada’s ninth consecutive U20 final. Canada had the skill to win, but did what is unusual for any Canadian team – losing in overtime. From that perspective, there’s work to do for next year's U20 coach. The goal for is clear: get revenge by winning the 2011 World Juniors on American soil. And there’s much pressure on the host nation at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics as the men’s, women’s, U20 and U18 national teams all missed to win world championship titles prior to the Olympics.

3. Sweden

The good news: Sweden won a third medal in a row. The bad news: After two silvers, they dropped a notch to bronze. The Swedes had a better line-up than last year. and waltzed past most of their European opponents. It was a team very well organized and with depth. The only problem: The Swedes seldom defeat North American teams. Since the 1996 quarterfinals, Sweden hasn’t defeated the U.S. in ten games. Still, Sweden is currently the only European country that consistently develops high-quality juniors on a regular basis.

4. Switzerland

The Swiss had four final-round appearances from 1998 to 2002 including two semi-finals, but missed the playoffs the following seven years with a relegation in 2008 as the lowlight. This year they were the Cinderella squad after making the semi-finals. The Swiss don’t have as much depth as the elite nations, but still earned fourth place despite playing without their injured star players – Olympians Roman Josi and Luca Sbisa. It took some luck and strong goaltending to defeat Russia in the quarterfinal. But after that surprise win, the gap between the elite nations and the next tier became obvious as the Swiss were wiped off the ice in their next two games by the medal winners. Still, the team showed that there is considerable talent that will help Switzerland maintain seventh place in the world ranking.

5. Finland

The 2010 World Juniors was the best tournament in four years for Finland. In some aspects, they were even the best team in Group B. The Finns created an enormous amount of scoring opportunities, but couldn’t finish on key plays. They were missing a true sniper. Many shots were too weak and the players were not plucky enough to score the dirty goals. This season, the Finns got back on track, but to hit the medal round it will take more, especially as the top-three finishers from this season are showing no signs of slowing. If Finland doesn’t develop more dangerous and gritty forwards, it will probably not be able to improve its image as the eternal silver-medallist on the men’s level.

6. Russia

The Russians showed excellent and entertaining rushes in most games, especially when their opponents annoyed them by scoring which required them to react – but you seldom win games with a few strong minutes. The days of turining it on and off are over for the country, if its wants to contend for a medal it will take a full 60-minute effort. Also not helping was the impression that the team did not respond to its coach and lacked depth in comparision with the top days of Russian junior hockey. Additionally, Nikita Filatov, the biggest prospect, scored only once. It might take several more years to see the next Ovechkin/Malkin-calibre Russian star.

7. Czech Republic

It’s the worst result for the Czechs since 1999, when they also ended up in the relegation round. In the last four years, the Czechs lost in the quarterfinals, this time they had to play to avoid relegation. It looks like the Czech junior development system has stalled, especially since many players are leaving the country to play junior hockey in Canada. For now, the Czechs men’s team relies on their veteran stars from the prime time of Czech hockey. But what happens when the players born in the 70s are retired?

8. Slovakia

After four years in the relegation round, the team surprisingly earned fourth place in 2009. It looks like now this was the exception and not the rule as the Slovaks returned to the relegation round. The Slovaks face similar problems like their “brothers” from the Czech Republic. Players push early for a junior career in North America. The general perception that the Slovak professional league is of lesser quality than Europe’s top-6 doesn’t make the situation better. Will the 2011 World Championship in Bratislava and Kosice boost the sport?

9. Latvia

The Latvians have some decent prospects like KHL forward Roberts Bukarts, but like last year the team was not capable to keep up with the big teams. Contrary to last year, they won just one relegation round game – not enough to stay with the elite nations. The players made too many fundamental mistakes and they have much to learn. The new system with Dinamo Riga in the KHL and its junior team in the Belarusian league could possibly develop more talent in the future.

10. Austria

The opposite of Latvia. The team concept and hard work were well visible and appreciated by the fans, and it helped Austria to scare powerhouses Russia and Sweden, at least during some moments. Unfortunately for them, hard work didn’t make up for the lack of depth which eventually became very visible at top division level. The team was too dependent on the production of the first line. Still, they were there. Countries like Germany, Norway (both qualified for the 2011 World Juniors), Belarus or Denmark weren’t. Just this little fact is good news for Austria.

MARTIN MERK

]]>on topWorldsU202010 U20on right01 Austria03 Canada04 Czech Republic06 Finland12 LatviaFri, 08 Jan 2010 10:58:00 +0100All-Time audience record http://www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm20/news/news-singleview-world-juniors/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4043
IIHF U20s watched by 12.3 million TV-viewers in CanadaPreliminary overnight data confirms that TSN’s average audience for the game was an outstanding 5.3 million viewers - an all-time record for the network and the largest audience recorded on Canadian television since 2005. It is the sixth largest audience for any broadcast on Canadian television in records that date back to 1994.

An astounding 12.3 million viewers - or more than one in three Canadians - tuned in to some of or the entire broadcast.

Audience levels peaked at 7.5 million viewers in the final minutes of the third period as tournament MVP Jordan Eberle scored for Team Canada and sent the dramatic game into overtime.

Team USA went on to win the game in OT, grabbing its first World Junior title since 2004.

"TSN has covered some of the biggest sporting events in the world over the past 25 years, but this one will go down as one of the most exciting and emotional games we have ever broadcast," says Phil King, President of TSN.

"It is a tribute to Hockey Canada that this tournament has grown to where it is today - capturing the attention of the nation every year. We are absolutely thrilled so many Canadians joined us for the game and we can’t wait to do it again next year in Buffalo."

"It is wonderful that so many Canadians watched and cheered on Team Canada last night," says Bob Nicholson, President of Hockey Canada. "We are also extremely proud of our longstanding partnership with TSN - a partnership that has worked so well for both organizations and has grown the game of hockey across the country."

TSN’s support programming also had impressive audiences with the Post-Game Show attracting an average of 3 million viewers and the Pre-Game Show registering an average of 1.3 million viewers.

The gold medal game caps off what will go down as the most successful IIHF World U20 Championship ever for TSN. The average audience for the six games featuring Team Canada was a remarkable 3.1 million viewers (includes four preliminary round games, one semifinal game and the gold medal final).

TSN also saw impressive audiences for its broadcast of non-Team Canada games. The Russia-Switzerland quarterfinal game (2-3 OT) had an average audience of more than one-million viewers and the United States-Sweden semifinal game (5-2) set a new standard for digital television with an audience of 902,000 for its broadcast on TSN2.

TSN has been televising the IIHF World U20 Championship since 1991. Eight of the top 10 programs of all time on TSN have been from the U20 broadcasts with seven of those games registering audiences of more than 3 million viewers.

Online, TSN.ca scored with its World U20 coverage registering 145,000 live streams for the gold medal game - a record for primetime online streaming. Throughout the tournament, World Juniors on-demand content registered 1.4 million video views.

The tradition returns December 26, 2010, as Canada looks for redemption at the 2011 IIHF World U20 in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, New York.

Top Five Audiences on TSN:
5.3 Million -- 2010 World U20 Gold Medal Game (Canada. vs. USA)5.1 Million -- 2009 Grey Cup (Montreal vs. Saskatchewan)3.7 Million -- 2009 World U20 Gold Medal Game (Canada. vs. Sweden)3.5 Million -- 2003 World U20 Gold Medal Game (Canada. vs. Russia)3.3 Million -- 2010 World U20 Canada-USA (Preliminary Round - New
]]>IIHFU2001 Austria03 Canada04 Czech Republic06 Finland12 Latvia15 Russia16 Slovakia18 SwedenThu, 07 Jan 2010 09:41:00 +0100Welcome to Buffalohttp://www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm20/news/news-singleview-world-juniors/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4039
2011 World Juniors in the United StatesThe main venue will be the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, home of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres. The second venue will be Dwyer Arena on the Niagara University campus, about 20 miles from Buffalo.

“Buffalo is a wonderful city and we could not be more pleased to be bringing the World Juniors to western New York,” said Ron DeGregorio, president of USA Hockey. “The Sabres are a first-class organization and the participants and fans from around the world will have the chance to experience that first-hand.”

The schedule will be announced later, but ticket packages for the 17 games in Buffalo and the 31 games in both venues are available starting from $29 per game.

Fore more event information on the 2011 IIHF World U20 Championship visit www.buffaloworldjuniors.com.

The next World U20 Championships:2011: United States (Buffalo, Niagara)2012: Canada (Calgary, Edmonton)2013: TBA (applicants: Russia, Sweden)2014: TBA2015: Canada (TBA)]]>on rightWorldsU202010 U20on right20 United States2011 WM20Wed, 06 Jan 2010 08:00:00 +0100Eberle voted MVPhttp://www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm20/news/news-singleview-world-juniors/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4042
Canadian wins two World Junior awardsThe Regina Pats winger went into the gold medal game as the top goal-scorer and as the second-leading scorer of the tournament with 11 points (6 goals, 5 assists), and he scored two late goals in the final against the U.S. to get Canada into overtime.

Switzerland’s Benjamin Conz was selected Best Goalie of the tournament. He helped the Swiss defeat Russia in a quarterfinal upset, making 50 saves in the 3-2 overtime win.

Canada’s Alex Pietrangelo won the Best Defenceman award. He was the blueliner with the best offensive production, recording 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) and a +8.

The nominations to the Media All-Star Team were equally split between Canada, Switzerland and Team USA:

]]>on leftWorldsU202010 U20on left03 Canada19 Switzerland20 United Stateson rightWed, 06 Jan 2010 03:39:00 +0100New champs: USA stuns Canadahttp://www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm20/news/news-singleview-world-juniors/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4041
Canadian dream of six straight U20 golds falls short; 6-5 in OTThe 19-year-old Washington Capitals defenceman fired a quick shot from the left side to beat Canada's Martin Jones, sparking a wild celebration by the American players, aged 18.5 years on average. (Remarkably, Carlson also scored the deciding goal against Sweden in the semis.) This was Carlson's second goal of the night.

"I kind of closed my eyes and it went in," said Carlson of his OT stunner. "It was unbelievable."

For the hosts, Carlson's winner spoiled a desperate comeback spearheaded by tournament MVP Jordan Eberle. In the style of his miraculous heroics from last year's semi-final against Russia, Eberle scored two late goals to send the game to overtime after the Americans had built up a seemingly insurmountable 5-3 lead.

"We got a comfortable lead, but Canada can do miraculous things," said American coach Dean Blais. "My initial feeling was we blew the game when they tied it up, but we caught a break and Carlson scored the goal."

"I think we were extremely fortunate to get that goal in the end," added the USA's Chris Bourque. "Obviously being up two goals in the third, we kind of let things slip away. We went in after overtime and said, 'Hey, we can do this! We can't dwell on the past, we've got to look to the future.' Carlson's one of the best D-men in the world in his age group, and for him to go down and score that goal was an unbelievable experience."

It was as wild and unpredictable of a final as anyone could have asked for. Who could have imagined that both teams' starting goalies would end up getting pulled? Similar to their 5-4 New Year's Eve shootout loss to Canada, the Americans outplayed their vaunted hosts for much of the game, but this time they got rewarded for their efforts when it meant most.

"We're an extremely fast group, and to go along with that speed, we have grit and tenacity," said Bourque. "That's a deadly combo, and it showed in this tournament."

Canada failed in its quest to win a sixth straight gold medal, which would have surpassed the record it set between 1993 and 1997, and 2005 and 2009. Canada's all-time record against the United States now stands at 27 wins, six losses, and three ties.

The result was a tribute to USA Hockey's junior development program. Seven members of the World Junior squad were on the team that won World U18 gold in 2009.

"It's huge," said the USA's Chris Kreider of the triumph in Saskatoon. "This is the biggest thing we can do for USA Hockey."

"It's a great accomplishment for the players, coaches, and management," added teammate Cam Fowler.

This was the third meeting of all time between Canada and the United States in the World Junior gold medal game. Canada won 2-0 in Switzerland in 1997, and the U.S. won 4-3 in Finland in 2004.

This was also Canada's ninth straight gold medal game (since 2002) and twelfth straight medal (since 1999) at this tournament.

Final shots favoured Canada 41-37, including a 19-8 run in the third period.

"The crowd here's always hostile and anti-American, but we got into the game, and things went our way tonight," said the USA's Jordan Schroeder.

At 4:12 of the third period, the Americans made it 4-3 when Jerry D'Amigo finished off a sweet rush. Fed by American captain Derek Stepan, he sent a high shot past Canadian starting goalie Jake Allen's blocker.

The Americans got a stroke of good luck at 6:23 when Allen bobbled the puck in front of him after a high American shoot-in by D'Amigo, enabling Stepan to waltz in and tuck a backhander past the stunned netminder from the Montreal Juniors.

It was time for a Canadian goaltending change. Out came Allen and in went Martin Jones, whose only previous tournament appearance came in a Preliminary Round 8-2 romp over Slovakia.

"It's a tough situation [to come in like that], but it's something you've got to prepare yourself for," said Jones, who plays for the WHL's Calgary Hitmen. "It's a short tournament, and things like this happen."

Canada tried to ramp up the pressure as the clock ticked down. With about six minutes left, USA netminder Jack Campbell stoned Nazem Kadri twice from the slot. A couple of minutes later, Gabriel Bourque's in-tight backhander skittered just wide of the post.

The best Canadian chance to pull within one came when the USA's Kyle Palmieri was penalized for running over Jones with four minutes to play. They took full advantage when Eberle slammed home a one-timer from the faceoff circle to Campbell's right with 2:49 left.

The flag-waving Credit Union Centre crowd of 15,171 exploded with joy, and Canada brought furious pressure to bear on the American net. With 1:35 left, Eberle created more magic, banging home a rebound to tie the game at 5-5 after Campbell made a great pad save on Ryan Ellis's point shot. Off to overtime.

"This is disappointing," said Eberle afterwards. "We came back and never gave up. We came to this tournament with the gold in mind."

What a gold medal game it was -- full of lead changes and unexpected developments from the very start. It was proof that if you're not watching World Junior hockey, you are missing out on something incredibly memorable and special.

The Canadians didn't get their first shot on goal until 2:40 of the first, but they made it count. Jordan Caron cut down the right side and fed Luke Adam, who deposited a backhand through the pads of American starter Mike Lee to give Canada a 1-0 lead.

Midway through the period, the USA's Tyler Johnson got behind the Canadian defence but failed on a deke as he was checked by Ryan Ellis, crashing into the end boards and hobbling off. Shortly afterwards, Schroeder tested Allen with a backhand on the rush.

Then the Americans found a weak spot. With 6:04 left in the first, the USA's Chris Kreider tied the game with a quick shot from the top of the left faceoff circle that beat a surprised Allen over the glove. Just 36 seconds later, Ryan Bourque came down the right side and fed Schroeder, who also beat Allen over the glove to make it 2-1 for the Americans.

"We had a couple of breakdowns and good teams capitalize on that," said Canadian defenceman Alex Pietrangelo.

The hosts didn't fold, though. At 16:03, Canada tied it back up when Greg Nemisz grabbed a loose puck on the rush and slammed it past Lee's left skate. It was Nemisz's first goal of the tournament.

Canada ran into penalty problems late in the first, as Stefan Della-Rovere hit Schroeder at centre ice and was sent off for charging. Next, Pietrangelo took a minor and misconduct for a hit from behind.

With heavy pressure early in the second period, the Americans jumped into a 3-2 lead on the power play at 1:03 when John Carlson fired a shot from the centre point that eluded Allen through traffic.

Allen fumbled yet another high glove side shot, which almost slipped behind him. But at 3:56, Canada came right back to tie it up at 3-3 when Taylor Hall's shot bobbled over Lee. At this point, the Americans were outshooting Canada 21-7, and Team USA coach Dean Blais had seen enough, yanking Lee in favour of Jack Campbell.

Despite all the guts and glory on display toward the end of regulation, this was indubitably Canada's weakest performance in a final since the '04 loss to the Americans. The goaltending, in particular, proved unequal to the task, which isn't what happened versus the Swedes in 2009, regardless of the question marks surrounding Dustin Tokarski.

"The Americans have a lot of class and are a very well-coached team," said Canadian coach Willie Desjardins. "We saw that on December 31, and they had a very good game again. We have to take our hats off to them. They did a good job. We have a lot of work to do."

It just goes to show that in international hockey you can't win every year, no matter how good you are. Not in 2010.

The Americans, of course, could be faulted for their inability to hold on to a lead in the late stages. But nobody will care about that years from now, when the exultation of John Carlson and his U.S. teammates is what will be remembered from this classic thriller on the wintry plains of Saskatchewan. They took a page out of Team Canada's book and "found a way to win."

By a large margin, this marked the most goals scored by one team (11) and by both teams (15) in a World Juniors bronze medal game.

Sweden showed more skill, depth and power than the Swiss, who have looked worn out since their surprising quarterfinal victory over Russia.

“I think our team was really tired,” said Swiss forward Nino Niederreiter. “When I think back, it seems like we have never had a good game against Sweden. We can't be losing 11-4 to Sweden, but they've got a good team.”

Swedish goalie Jacob Markström summed up the regretful mood of his team's returning veterans after the game: “I got the silver last year, so I really wanted to upgrade that to a gold medal this year."

“We had one bad game against the U.S. You have to play your best game in the semi-finals and we didn’t, so we must be happy with the bronze medals,” said Sweden head coach Pär Mårts. “We have to learn to win such games. Today our guys stayed focused and went for it. We wanted to create more traffic and to go harder on the rebounds, which we didn’t do so well before.”

The Swedes encountered little resistance in the first period. Dennis Rasmussen opened the scoring on a rebound near the four-minute mark, following up on a shot from Martin Lundberg.

Tre Kronor then scored four more goals within eight minutes to crush Swiss hopes of winning their second bronze medal ever after 1998.

Anton Lander scored on his own rebound at 11:44. Andre Petersson surprised Switzerland goalkeeper Benjamin Conz, who was not taken out during the game, with a shot from a sharp angle that made it 3-0 on the power play. Four minutes later, he beat Conz with a shot that got through the netminder’s pads. Mattias Tedenby made it 5-0 at 19:04.

“We had a really bad first period, and it just kept going in the second period,” said Niederreiter.

The Swedish scoring streak continued at 3:17 of the middle frame. Conz couldn't control the puck after a Swedish attack, while a Swiss teammate slid into the goal as Silfverberg shot the puck in. Thirty-nine seconds later, Daniel Brodin made it 7-0.

“We came out and we did a very good game, but the semi-final loss against the U.S. still hurts us a lot,” said Sweden forward Magnus Pääjärvi Svensson. “Maybe the frustration was the reason we executed so well against Switzerland.

“It was not our goal to lose the game like that," said Swiss head coach Jakob Kölliker. "We didn’t find our path, especially at the beginning of the game. Maybe we expected too much, but it went better at the end of the game. Sweden showed us what hockey is."

The game became less lopsided after the seventh marker for Tre Kronor. Michaël Loichat scored the first Swiss goal at 26:30 with a lucky drive from the blueline that beat Markström with the eighth Swiss shot of the game. However, Silfverberg and Brodin then scored their second goals of the game on the power play.

The Swiss replied with three goals within three minutes from Dominik Schlumpf during a man-advantage, Jeffrey Füglister at even strength, and Nino Niederreiter during a 5-on-3 power play.

The game ended with Petersson completing his hat trick with a shorthander at 38:40. David Rundblad scored the lone goal of the closing stanza for the final score of 11-4.

“It's not fun standing there when it starts to be over 10 goals,” said Markström of the Swiss decision to leave Conz in net the whole game. “I don't know why they didn't pull him, because he must be exhausted from the Russia game and the Canada game. He had a great tournament.”

Kölliker surprised the spectators with the decision to let Conz play the full game while backup goalie Matthias Mischler didn’t play a minute in this event. “We know about Conz’ capability and he’s in a process he has to deal with such situations and we gave him this chance”, he said about his decision.

“All in all we had a great tournament and we can go home with our heads held high,” Kölliker said after the fourth-place finish. “It was a big step for Swiss hockey. We saw that we can win against a big opponent on a perfect day and with some luck. But at the same time, we can also struggle against teams from the other end, like in the game against Latvia.”

Sweden played without captain Marcus Johansson, who took a match penalty and one-game suspension for elbowing Jerry D'Amigo versus the Americans in the semi-finals.

MARTIN MERK]]>WorldsU202010 U2018 Sweden19 Switzerlandon righton rightTue, 05 Jan 2010 23:00:00 +0100Something to provehttp://www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm20/news/news-singleview-world-juniors/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4036
Both Canada and USA have much at stake in gold medal gameThey were shut out 2-0 in Switzerland in 1997 as Boyd Devereaux scored the game-winner for Canada.

And in 2004, when the Americans beat Canada 4-3 for their lone title, the winning goal was credited to Patrick O'Sullivan, but the future NHL forward didn't put the puck in the net. That (unfortunate) distinction went to Canadian goalie Marc-Andre Fleury whose failed clearing attempt bounced off his own defenceman, Braydon Coburn, and over the goal line.

The American victory that year was hailed as validation for the USA's National Team Development Program (NTDP). It centralizes top U18 Americans on one team out of Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has spawned 166 NHL-drafted players (including 33 first-round picks) since its 1996 debut.

But we're not concerned with providing NHL talent here. Our focus is World Junior gold, and we're still only talking about one World Junior title for the world's most prosperous and influential nation. Decided by a late, fluky goal.

It all points to a key difference when you consider what's at stake for these North American rivals at Saskatoon's Credit Union Centre on Tuesday.

Canada wants to prove it's the undisputed top junior hockey nation on earth by surpassing its own record of five straight gold medals (1993-97, 2005-09) in its ninth straight finals appearance.

The Americans merely want to prove that they deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Canada by getting their second gold ever.

There would be no better way to do that than beating the red Maple Leaf on its own ice.

But these American players are so young that even the oldest (19-year-old defenceman John Carlson, who tallied the winner against Sweden in the semis) would be hard-pressed to remember the historic 1996 World Cup of Hockey final, where the Americans prevailed with two 5-2 victories in Montreal.

If the Americans win, they'll attract a modicum of US media attention. Lose, and it won't be noticed at all, except among hardcore hockey fans. In Canada, Willie Desjardins' crew is expected to win, and if they don't, a blanket of gloom will settle over the nation, which would only be alleviated by Olympic gold in Vancouver next month.

Somehow, the young Canadians manage to either block out or feed off that pressure when they need to.

Even though 2010 American offensive stars like Derek Stepan (12 points) and Jerry D'Amigo (10 points) are right up there with Canadian go-to guys like Jordan Eberle (11 points) and Taylor Hall (nine points), they'll have to demonstrate that they want victory more than Canada does. It wasn't a case they made convincingly in either of the last two New Year's Eve round-robin classics, blowing a 3-0 lead on December 31, 2008 in Ottawa and, in this year's tournament, squandering the 4-2 edge they held with 10 minutes left.

Additionally, since the IIHF instituted the playoff system at the World Juniors in 1996, the Americans have not fared well against Canada when a medal (apart from '04) or elimination is on the line. They've lost two quarter-finals (2001, 2003), two semi-finals (2007, 2008), and even a bronze medal game (2000) – which is usually the best time to catch a Canadian team napping.

Brian Burke, GM of the 2010 American Olympic squad, recently told reporters that not one cent would be bet in Las Vegas on his young Vancouver squad. The American juniors are a tough bet, too. They enter Tuesday's gold medal game with a 50/50 chance on paper, but lower odds in actuality.

Because this isn't just about history and Canada's passionate devotion to a sport whose popularity lags behind baseball, basketball, and football in the United States.

The hard reality is that this year, Canada tops the Americans in almost every major statistical category heading into the final: goals for, goals against, power play, penalty killing, goaltending. Even with all the talk of how Canada needs to watch its discipline (Nazem Kadri, Stefan Della-Rovere, and Patrice Cormier, we're looking at you), the Canadians have recorded just 58 PIM to the USA's 84. Only in shorthanded goals (three apiece) are the two teams equal.

So unless you're a committed Canadian supporter, wish this young, fast, skilled Team USA good luck. Because they're probably going to need it.

LUCAS AYKROYD]]>on topWorldsU202010 U20on top03 Canada20 United Stateson lefton lefton rightTue, 05 Jan 2010 05:45:00 +0100Rolling the dicehttp://www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm20/news/news-singleview-world-juniors/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4038
Las Vegas native Zucker goes for gold at World JuniorsThe Team USA winger, who will celebrate his 18th birthday in a few days, was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. The city that bills itself as the entertainment capital of the world might be in line for an NHL expansion franchise someday, and it began hosting the NHL Awards in 2009.

However, Las Vegas isn't a typical place of origin for hockey players. There hasn’t been an NHL player who was born in Vegas, or even one from Nevada.

In fact, only 1,067 male hockey players are currently registered in Nevada. That's a small number compared to 52,333 in Minnesota, 52,022 in Michigan, 45,185 in New York and 42,115 in Massachusetts.

How did Zucker beat the odds and break into this icy sport in a hot state?

“My older brother Adam started to play hockey when he was five,” Zucker explained. “I got him doing it and then he got me playing. I started to skate at the age of two-and-a-half, and played games when I was three-and-a-half. I started really young.”

There weren't many choices for ice time in the gambling mecca. There are three ice rinks in Vegas, Zucker noted. One is in a casino. But that didn’t stop him from rolling the dice (metaphorically, of course) on a hockey career.

“Knowing that there weren’t many people from Las Vegas who played hockey and were big in that sport made me determined to keep it going,” Zucker said.

Zucker summarized his junior career: “I moved away to California when I was ten years old and played for the Los Angeles Hockey Club. I played there for two years. Next, I went home for a couple of years, and then went to Detroit Compuware. I had to move out to town to develop myself. I played in Detroit for one year and then joined the national team program in Ann Arbour.”

Zucker joined USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program last year and suited up in 64 games (21 goals, 17 assists) with the U18 and U17 team, playing against college and junior teams from the NCAA and USHL respectively.

He even made the team that played in the 2009 IIHF World U18 Championship, and had six points in seven games as the Americans won the gold on home ice in Fargo.

Zucker is the youngest player on the U.S. team, and one of the few players born in 1992 at the tournament. He’s in his last year of eligibility to play in the World U18 Championship in April in Belarus, but has already enjoyed a good amount of ice time with the U20s.

Next year he plans to go the college route.

“The Seattle Thunderbirds have my WHL rights and playing there has always been in the back of my mind. It’s a great league and organization, but I’m committed to go to the Denver University, my plans are all there. I haven’t decided about my major yet, but I’m thinking about sport psychology.”

Another part of his future will be the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Zucker was ranked 18th in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s preliminary ranking of players in the United States.

“The Detroit Red Wings were always my team when I was younger, but now as the draft is coming up, I’m open-minded for everything,” Zucker said. “Playing in the NHL is definitely my dream. I’m hoping to get drafted this summer and then see where it takes me. I’ll just go for it and bring my work ethic with me, and hopefully I can make it.”

Although he brings kind of an exotic touch to the team as a Nevada-trained player, he doesn’t feel too special. They’re all Americans on the team. “But it’s great knowing that I’m the first guy from Vegas to play in this tournament,” he added.

Right now, Zucker’s complete attention is on the World Junior gold medal game versus Canada. The American team is one game away from the title after dumping Sweden 6-2 in the semi-finals.

“We went out there and had a great game for everybody,” said Zucker, who has scored two goals in six games. “But the gold medal game is going to be a battle. They [Canada] play a great game. Nobody really expects us to win. Canada won five years in a row, so you have to take your hat off to them. They have experienced and skilled guys, but we’re going to go out there and give our best, and hopefully we can win the gold medal.”

Canada has won seven games in a row against Team USA in the World Juniors, although most games were tight, such as the 5-4 shootout win in the Preliminary Round in Saskatoon.

The last time the Americans won gold was at the 2004 World U20 Championship in Helsinki with a 4-3 victory over Canada. That was the first (and so far only) the U.S. has won the World Juniors.

With hard work and a little luck, Jason Zucker hopes to make a little more history on Tuesday.

MARTIN MERK]]>WorldsU20U182010 U2020 United Stateson lefton lefton righton right2010 WM18Tue, 05 Jan 2010 05:41:00 +0100Remembering '98http://www.iihf.com/channels0910/wm20/news/news-singleview-world-juniors/?no_cache=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=4035
Can Swiss win a second bronze 12 years later?In 1998, the Swiss finished the Preliminary Round in second place. With the tournament taking place in Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, they beat Slovakia 3-1 and Kazakhstan 7-0, tied Russia 3-3, and lost 4-1 to the U.S. in the last Pool B game.

Switzerland, coached by American Bill Gilligan, beat Sweden 2-1 in overtime in the quarterfinals, but fell 2-1 to Finland in the semis. They captured bronze with a 4-3 shootout victory against the Czech Republic.

Historically, the Swiss have always brought teams with varying levels of skill to both the World U20s and U18s. Some years they have more or less depth, and the number of star players also changes. They've had so many different outcomes. From U18 silver (2001) to U20 relegation, the Swiss juniors have covered virtually the whole spectrum.

Let’s take a look back at what's become of the Swiss that became national heroes in 1998. Some went on to appear in the NHL, and some became national team regulars, although none of them cracked the roster for the 2010 Olympics, while others failed to become stars. These are scenarios that might also play out with the current Swiss U20 national team. But right now, their focus is on the bronze medal game against Sweden on Tuesday.

Goalies

David Aebischer: He was the hero when he stopped all Czech shots in the shootout. He was named 1998's Best Goalie, and he later became the first Swiss player to suit up regularly in the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche. Aebischer returned to Switzerland in 2007 after 227 NHL games, and is currently playing for HC Lugano. He appeared in five World Championships and two Olympics, and was one of the key players in the senior national team’s fourth-place finish in the 1998 World Championship on home ice in Zurich and Basel.

Marco Bührer: After the World Juniors, he ventured into professional hockey. He has been the starting goalkeeper of SC Bern since 2002, and has participated in four World Championships.

Defencemen

Ralph Bundi: The Chur native left his hometown club a few years later to play in the top Swiss league. He's been injury-plagued in recent years, but still plays in the NLA for HC Ambrì-Piotta.

Patrick Fischer: This blueliner, not to be confused with his compatriot of the same name who played for the Phoenix Coyotes, made it from the B-league to the NLA’s EV Zug two years after the '98 World Juniors. He's still with the team after spending a few years in Rapperswil-Jona.

Alain Reist: Another player who made his NLA debut in 1999. He's stayed in the highest Swiss league apart from one B-league season, and is currently with ZSC Lions Zurich.

Julien Vauclair: The most famous of the Vauclair brothers was already in his first pro season with HC Lugano when he played in the World Juniors. He played his first of nine World Championships with the senior national team in 1999 as a 19-year-old. His career in Lugano was only interrupted due to a three-year stint in the AHL with the Ottawa Senators’ farm team. He appeared in just one NHL game for the Sens.

Jan von Arx: The younger brother of former Chicago Blackhawks forward Reto von Arx was already in his second pro season with HC Davos when he won the bronze medal. He played in the 1999 World Championship, and has won four league titles in his 14 seasons with Davos.

Marc Werlen: He also participated in Finland as an NLA player. He played for Fribourg-Gottéron and Lausanne in the highest league until 2003. He had five more seasons in the B-league, but ended his professional career in 2008.

Markus Wüthrich: He was a decent blueliner in the National League B, but hung up his skates to become a policeman in 2009.

ForwardsAlex Chatelain: A third- and fourth-line centre in the highest league for Bern, Basel and (again) Bern since 1999, Chatelain was sent to Langenthal, a B-league team, in December.

Björn Christen: In 1998, he had already debuted in the NLA for SC Bern as a 16-year-old, and he set World U20 records with 26 games and four tournaments. In 2002 and 2003 he played in two World Championships, plus the Salt Lake City Olympics, but he hasn’t played for the national team since then. Currently with EV Zug.

Flavien Conne: He was a top B-league player in Geneva when he won the bronze medal as a 17-year-old. He transferred to the NLA team Fribourg, and has been playing for HC Lugano since 2000. He's had many setbacks and few full seasons due to injuries, but has still managed to play in five World Championships and two Olympics.Sven Lindemann: The 1998 World Juniors coincided with the start of Lindemann's NLA career with the Kloten Flyers. He’s a solid forward in his 13th season with the team, although he has never played international hockey since winning the '98 bronze.

Michel Mouther: He didn’t have his breakthrough in the NLA until he put up a 19-point season with Fribourg-Gottéron a few years later. Mouther retired in 2004 due to a groin injury.

Laurent Müller: It looked like he was ready to shine professionally one year after the bronze medal outing when he notched 38 points for Zurich, but that remained a career high. He then suited up for four other teams in Switzerland, plus Jyväskylä in Finland. He ended his career in 2006 as a free agent.Marc Reichert: The physical winger has stuck with his native club of SC Bern, apart from a three-year stint with Kloten, and is under contract in the Swiss capital for several more years. He has represented Switzerland in six World Championships.

Michel Riesen: He had five points in the 1998 bronze-medal campaign. Riesen became the first Swiss first-round pick one year earlier when the Edmonton Oilers selected him 14th overall. But he had just one point in 12 NHL games, and returned to Davos after spending three seasons with the AHL's Hamilton Bulldogs. He developed into a sniper in the Swiss league, and transferred to Rapperswil. He has declined to play for the national team since head coach Ralph Krueger didn’t take him to the 2002 Olympics.

Sandro Rizzi: With the bronze medal came Rizzi’s breakthrough with HC Davos in the top Swiss league. He’s in his 14th season with the team and has won four league titles. He also appeared in one World Championship (1999).

Mario Schocher: This winger made little impact with Davos and Geneva-Servette in the highest league. He switched to amateur hockey in 2005 after two years in the B-league with Olten.

René Stüssi: This forward was seen as a huge talent, having had a 60-point season with the NLB’s Thurgau as an 18-year-old. He was drafted by Anaheim, and had four points in the World Juniors. He had 82 points in 269 NLA games for five different teams, but his lack of work ethic prevented him from finding another employer in the highest league. Stüssi now plays amateur hockey for the third-tier team Pikes Oberthurgau.Adrian Wichser: Won the bronze as a 17-year-old in his first of three World U20 Championships, during his rookie season in the NLA. He has played in five World Championships, plus the 2006 Olympics. He was the scoring leader of the 2008-2009 Champions Hockey League and became a European club champion with ZSC Lions Zurich.

Thomas Ziegler: After the 1998 World Juniors, Ziegler logged his first two NLA seasons with Ambrì-Piotta. He appeared in five games for the Tampa Bay Lightning before coming back to Switzerland in 2002 after one NHL season. He has played for SC Bern since then, being used as a defensive centre and blueliner. He has played in seven World Championships, as well as the 2006 Olympics.

Although disappointed to be out of the medals, the Finns posted their best result since 2006's bronze. The sixth-place Russians, however, go home without at least a silver or bronze for the first time since 2004, when they came fifth. Only once have the Russians had a worse finish: seventh place in 2001.

Hartikainen's winner came with Russia serving its first of two consecutive minors for too many men on the ice, much to the displeasure of Russian head coach Vladimir Plyushchev. The Russians pulled goalie Igor Bobkov for an extra attacker in the final minute, but it was to no avail.

Bobkov wasn't his team's starter and neither was Finland's Joni Ortio. Both teams charitably put in their underused backup goalies at the outset (Petteri Simila for Finland, Ramis Sadikov for Russia), and then reverted to their number ones in the second period.

All four Finnish goals came on the power play, while the Russians only scored at even strength. As usual, the Finns outshot their opponents by a wide margin (35-19), but were better at capitalizing on their chances than in their 2-0 loss to Russia in the Preliminary Round.

Maxim Trunev opened the scoring for Russia early in the first period, but Teemu Eronen made it 1-1 at 16:08 with Vladimir Tarasenko off for tripping. The shifty Alexander Burmistrov put Russia up 2-1 with 23 seconds to go in the first, which could have been a major morale boost for his team.

However, Finland rallied for the 2-2 marker late in the second period, courtesy of Pekka Jormakka.

In the third period, Burmistrov and Nikita Zaytsev put their team in a hole with elbowing and high-sticking penalties back-to-back. The Finns capitalized on the 5-on-3 with captain Jyri Niemi's third goal of the tournament to make it 3-2 at 6:14.

Burmistrov somewhat redeemed himself with the tying goal less than five minutes later. But that just set the stage for Hartikainen's winner.